A series of seesaws stood before the partnered cadets. There were three courses, separated by weight. Jim grinned. "Come on, Sy, this should be easy. Up one side, down the next."

Sy grasped the rope by it's end. "Sure, we can do that. Stand back." He gave a good yank and the teeter totter tipped over so its near end touched the ground. The two boys ran up it together, slowing carefully as it tilted back the other way. Darting down the plank they headed for the next one. Sy snagged that rope as well and gave it a pull.

"Good thing these ropes aren't long enough to reach each other," Jim mused to himself. "Or I would certainly tie them together."

Sy rolled his eyes. "You like to get in trouble, don't you."

"Mostly when I'm with my friends. And only if I'm not going to get caught. Braxton doesn't usually care about that. Matt's more like me, I guess." Jim shrugged carelessly. "It's what we do. You'll see as you hang out with us more. Come on, though, I want to finish quickly. Braxton will never let me hear the end of it if I'm too slow."

The younger boy grabbed the next rope and pulled their third seesaw towards them. The pair had a fairly good rhythm down now and easily crossed the long planks of wood. There were eight of them in total and they completed each one a little faster than the prior. The boys sprinted down the last one side by side, rushing for what looked like their final challenge.

The towering wall loomed before them, casting a dark shadow as the two charged towards it. Brightly colored handholds jutted out randomly upon the dark gray 'stone'. Six teams were already climbing, and a seventh was strapping on harnesses.

One of the boys reached up and grabbed another's ankle. He tugged, trying to dislodge his opponent from the wall. The kid above him wasn't about to go without a fight, however, and started to kick at his hand and head. The lower boy pulled himself up a bit higher, tearing at his rival's legs now. The higher boy held on tight and lashed out at his ribs.

A third boy scrambled past their struggle, seemingly uninvolved. As he was about to pass them he reached out and grabbed the upper boy's wrist. With a good yank he pulled him from the wall. The kid dropped like a stone, taking out the one he had been wrestling with on his way. Both plummeted towards the ground, their harnesses slowing their descent enough that they would not be hurt when they landed.

Sy took a deep breath. "Let's try sticking to the outside of the wall. We'll have less people on either side of us. I'll take the right, you take the left. If one of us gets to the top first, we'll try to help watch for threats."

Jim nodded. "I'll see you at the top then." The boys split off from each other and ran for a free harness. Jim reached his first and started strapping in. Nearby a boy lost his grip as his handholds retracted into the wall. He slipped down several feet before he was able to grab a new protrusion. Jim set his jaw and snapped his last buckle in place.

Cautiously the young cadet set a foot on the largest grip he could reach. Boosting himself upwards he began to climb. He reached for a red grip only for it to sink into the wall without warning. Gritting his teeth he stretched a little farther and snagged a green. He reached for a yellow next and cautiously situated his feet. Both his hand holds began to disappear. In a rush he reached for the closest one. Red. It disappeared before he had even touched it.

Jim grumbled as he landed on the ground. "No reds then." he muttered to himself. He approached the wall again. He reached for a blue and boosted himself upward. Blue. Green. Blue. In quick succession he was a good couple feet off the ground. He grabbed a yellow on the right. As soon as he had his hand on it, it began to sink into the wall. Swiftly Jim switched to a slightly higher green. On his left were three reds. He knew those would not be possible. The yellow might do, but he'd need to move fast. His fingertips touched the wall.

Jim shifted his weight again, settling everything onto the blue in his left. His right hand pressed flat against the wall as the last of the green disappeared. Jim adjusted his stance to center himself more to his feet. Both on blues. He frowned as he studied the wall before him. Cautiously he put his hand on a yellow. It began to disappear as soon as he touched it.

Jim pulled back and placed his hand on the green. He held it for a moment, counting under his breath. "One. Two. Three. Four." The green started to disappear into the wall. Jim grinned and grabbed another green. "One. Two. Three. Four." That green began to slide in as well. One last test produced in the same result.

"That's it!" Jim wanted to shout his discovery to Sy, but he couldn't risk the other cadets learning the pattern and gaining an advantage. Now that he knew the plan however, he was certain he could make it to the top. Plotting his course as swiftly as he could, Jim began to climb.

Nearby another cadet dropped back towards the ground. A first year laughed and reached to pull an eight limbed creature off the wall. The oversized spider squirmed in his grasp. The first year dropped his classmate and turned his eyes on Jim. The boy was nearly twice Jim's size and very clearly had no issue with ensuring his own victory.

Jim scrambled up a little higher. He only had a third of the way to go, he couldn't fall at this point. The boy was getting closer, his long limbs providing an advantage. The blue and green blocks were getting scarcer the higher Jim got, and he was struggling to find a safe path swiftly. The boy reached for him with a low chuckle. Jim scrambled into a field of yellows, snatching at new holds as fast as he could before they disappeared under his hands and feet. Several reds blocked his path ahead. He had to go sideways, towards the cadet intent on pulling him off the wall.

The boy pushed himself a little closer and reached again. Jim felt the last of his yellow holds disappearing under him. He planted his feet firmly against the wall and launched himself as far back as he possibly could.

A large hand knocked into Jim's legs, sending him into a dizzying spin. The boy's hand came down directly in the middle of the now missing red blocks. His momentum pulled him to the side. Desperately the boy reached for something to hold onto. His fingers brushed across the slowly reappearing yellows, but could find nothing solid enough for a grip. His weight pulled him down and, like the cadets he had tossed off, he too dropped to the ground.

Jim swung back into the wall and hit it hard. The wind was knocked out of him, stunning him enough that he didn't think to grab onto anything. He knew that he was on his way down. Except, he didn't seem to be falling. He shook his head, then grabbed the blue grip by his face. His feet scraped at the wall until he found something that would hold him.

Cautiously, he tipped his head up.

Sy grinned back down at him, his legs hooked around one of the support posts their harnesses were connected to. He held tight to Jim's lifeline, all that had kept him from falling. "You're heavy, Hawkins! Hurry up and get up here, that burned my hands."

"Thank you."

Sy nodded. "You're welcome, partner. Now get up here."

Jim started to climb.